"To wish well and to have the courage to ask". : A qualitative study of social workers work with children living with addiction in their primary family (English)

Abstract [en]

Many children in society live in families where one or both parents have drug-addiction prob- lems. Early life conditions for these children may result in a need of support, which may be a requirement for a more favourable psycho-social development. The study purpose was to in- vestigate social worker’s experience of work with children with drug addiction problems in their primary family, based on the criticism of social service assistance. The study was based on a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. Six social workers in central Swe- den were interviewed about their experience of structural and individual preconditions and difficulties in the work. The study shows that the majority of the difficulties are experienced on the structural level within the organization while the majority of the preconditions are ex- perienced on the individual level. The structural difficulties are not experienced to affect the respondent’s own individual preconditions in their work and neither the feeling that they in their profession are able to do a good job. In addition, all the respondents feel that the support for the children and young people meet the current needs.